I’ve seen some bad New Orleans Saints teams over the years. This year’s team is down there with the worst of them, and that’s before taking into consideration that Drew Brees may be slated to miss a few games.
It’s hard to find anything Saints fans can be excited about in 2015.
I don’t think many people were high on the Saints’ defense entering the season, and through two games, it’s easy to understand the lack of optimism.
The Saints have allowed 760 yards through week two. That’s 380 yards per game, which is not ideal. Not only is the Saints’ defense giving up yards, it’s giving up points. The Saints have allowed 57 points (28.5 points per game) in their two games — that’s 27th in the league.
If those numbers stay the same throughout the season, it’ll be hard for New Orleans to win any of its games.
If there’s a bright spot for the defense, it’s the fact that it has forced three turnovers. Yesterday, the two turnovers the Saints forced were timely and gave the offense a chance to put them right back in the game.
However, the offense squandered a short field with a missed field goal on one of the possessions, highlighting a more alarming problem for New Orleans: The offense just isn’t producing enough.
Last season, the Saints had more offensive yards than any team in the NFL, but they’ve dropped to ninth this season.
In 2014, the Saints’ offense averaged more than 25 points per game, but in 2015, it’s only averaging 19 points per game.
Brees once looked completely unstoppable. He looks far from that in 2015. He has 610 yards and a completion percentage of 62.8 percent, 6.4 percent worse than last year. Brees also has thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns — two.
To blame Brees for the offensive struggles would be unjust, though. The Saints traded away his top two targets during the offseason, so he no longer has the proper weapons to produce at the same level he has in the past.
The Saints have relied on a dynamic offense in recent seasons, and the offense isn’t there anymore. An offense declining in production and a porous defense are a bad combination.
Now, ESPN’s Ed Werder reported Brees experienced pain and weakness in his passing shoulder during the Saints’ loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday, and he is likely to miss several games. If Brees misses an extended period of time, the only thing the Saints will be in contention for is the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
The upcoming schedule makes the Saints’ near future even gloomier. The next five games feature trips to Carolina, Philadelphia and Indianapolis, while two home games are against Dallas and Atlanta.
Have the paper bags on standby because unless something changes quickly, you might need them.
Jack Woods is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Ruston, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @Jack_TDR.